Transgender advocates are big mad about Hollywood’s buzziest new trans-centric film.
The musical crime thriller “Emilia Pérez” recently swept the Golden Globes, bringing home four statuettes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song, and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña.
This was after earning the second most nominations in Golden Globes history, including the first Best Actress nomination for a transgender-identifying actor that went to the film’s lead, Karla Sofía Gascón.
Now the movie is generating a lot of Oscars buzz after getting a whopping 11 BAFTA nominations in mid-January.
Maybe this shouldn’t be surprising since the narrative follows a Mexican drug cartel leader who fakes his own death to undergo gender transition surgery and live a new life. Considering Hollywood’s obsession with radical left-wing gender theory, it would make sense for this movie to be heaped in praise.
Instead, it’s gotten a ton of backlash for being inauthentic and, interestingly enough, transphobic.
While director Jacques Audiard likely scored points for finding a trans-identifying actor to play the titular role, in the end, that wasn’t enough: Transgender advocates hated “Emilia Pérez.”
GLAAD, a non-profit that advocates against defamatory coverage of gay, lesbian, “queer” and transgender-identifying people, called it a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and “a step backward for trans representation.”
NPR journalist Reanna Cruz, who uses they/them pronouns and self-identifies as “queer and trans,” also complained about the transgender representation, saying it made those individuals look like “liars.”
“The entire time I was watching it I had a really weird feeling in my stomach because to me it seemed like the filmmaker was painting trans women as liars,” Cruz said. “Liars and people that can’t tell the truth and they don’t know who they are. And the songs kind of lean into that. Where half of the songs you have Emilia singing ‘Who am I?’ or talking about ‘I was a he and now I’m a she.’”
A “queer media” writer for the website them.com said “Emilia Perez” had no good qualities. “I was ready to find something to like about it — or at the very least, something I would hate so much it would be one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies. But it was neither. I hate, hate, hate this film,” Fran Tirado wrote.
Transgender representation wasn’t the only concern. Another major issue critics had was over the film’s authenticity.
“Emilia Pérez” follows cartel kingpin Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Gascón), who petitions attorney Rita Mora Castro (Saldaña) for help with staging his death. The entirety of the events are set in Mexico, but the movie’s director is French. The Spanish-language movie was filmed in France. And Audiard? He doesn’t even speak Spanish.
The director also admitted to not doing much research before making the film. “I didn’t study [Mexico] much,” Audiard said during an interview that’s been circulating on X. “What I needed to know I already knew a little bit.”
There’s been much backlash to the film on social media, especially from Mexican viewers who say the portrayal of their country is inaccurate and damaging, particularly when it comes to the portrayal of drug cartels. Viewers also lamented the fact that none of the cast members were Mexican, reigniting a familiar argument about casting actors in roles that don’t match their nationality.
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“This is a message to the Academy: Mexico hates Emilia Pérez. It is a racist, Eurocentric mockery. Nearly 500,000 are dead, and France decides to make a musical with no Mexicans in the crew or cast,” one popular X post says.
Another user on X agreed, writing, “Emilia Pérez is a case study in how to combine every cliché, ignorance, and lack of respect toward one of the most serious humanitarian crises of our time. Poorly acted, with a weak script, and a disastrously executed musical.”
“It just doesn’t make sense. A French guy making a movie without really knowing what happens in Mexico, simply unbelievable. Bad acting, dialogues, story doesn’t make sense and so on. Please, for your own good, don’t watch it,” one reviewer wrote.
Another agreed, writing, “I am Mexican and I found it completely disrespectful. It looks like a bad comedy made to entertain and promote stereotypes raised from an ignorant perspective of the country they want to represent on screen.”
“Only Murders in the Building” actress Selena Gomez also caught heat for her Spanish speaking skills. “CODA” actor Eugenio Derbez spoke out publicly about her Spanish pronunciation during a podcast appearance in December, saying, “Selena is indefensible.”
Derbez added, “I was there [watching the movie] with people, and every time a scene came [with her in it], we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?’”
Gomez responded to the criticism via TikTok, saying, “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”
Derbez later apologized to Gomez, saying his “careless comments” went against “everything I stand for.”
“There’s no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart,” he said.
But plenty of other critics share his feelings.
Despite all the backlash, many critics who do not write for “queer media” and industry bigwigs loved “Emilia Pérez.” Kevin Maher from The Times said, “This mad musical is one of the year’s best films,” while Stephanie Zacharek from Time said it was “fierce and glorious, a radical act of the imagination with kindness in its heart.”
New York Times critic Manohla Dargis agreed, writing, “It’s Gascón’s performance that centers and grounds the story.”
“Titanic” director James Cameron also had rave reviews. “What I saw that blew me away was Emilia Pérez. I have seen it three times now,” Cameron said in December. “It’s just not like any other film that’s ever been made, you know? I mean, I think it’s bold, it’s daring, it’s a vision. It’s beautifully executed. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking.”
“Emilia Pérez” currently has a 76% critics rating and a 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is expected to take home some prizes at the British Academy Film Awards and later at the Oscars in March, despite the fact that audiences – even those who you’d think would be cheering for a trans-centric storyline – really, really don’t like it.
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[[{“value”:”
Transgender advocates are big mad about Hollywood’s buzziest new trans-centric film.
The musical crime thriller “Emilia Pérez” recently swept the Golden Globes, bringing home four statuettes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song, and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña.
This was after earning the second most nominations in Golden Globes history, including the first Best Actress nomination for a transgender-identifying actor that went to the film’s lead, Karla Sofía Gascón.
Now the movie is generating a lot of Oscars buzz after getting a whopping 11 BAFTA nominations in mid-January.
Maybe this shouldn’t be surprising since the narrative follows a Mexican drug cartel leader who fakes his own death to undergo gender transition surgery and live a new life. Considering Hollywood’s obsession with radical left-wing gender theory, it would make sense for this movie to be heaped in praise.
Instead, it’s gotten a ton of backlash for being inauthentic and, interestingly enough, transphobic.
While director Jacques Audiard likely scored points for finding a trans-identifying actor to play the titular role, in the end, that wasn’t enough: Transgender advocates hated “Emilia Pérez.”
GLAAD, a non-profit that advocates against defamatory coverage of gay, lesbian, “queer” and transgender-identifying people, called it a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and “a step backward for trans representation.”
NPR journalist Reanna Cruz, who uses they/them pronouns and self-identifies as “queer and trans,” also complained about the transgender representation, saying it made those individuals look like “liars.”
“The entire time I was watching it I had a really weird feeling in my stomach because to me it seemed like the filmmaker was painting trans women as liars,” Cruz said. “Liars and people that can’t tell the truth and they don’t know who they are. And the songs kind of lean into that. Where half of the songs you have Emilia singing ‘Who am I?’ or talking about ‘I was a he and now I’m a she.’”
A “queer media” writer for the website them.com said “Emilia Perez” had no good qualities. “I was ready to find something to like about it — or at the very least, something I would hate so much it would be one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies. But it was neither. I hate, hate, hate this film,” Fran Tirado wrote.
Transgender representation wasn’t the only concern. Another major issue critics had was over the film’s authenticity.
“Emilia Pérez” follows cartel kingpin Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Gascón), who petitions attorney Rita Mora Castro (Saldaña) for help with staging his death. The entirety of the events are set in Mexico, but the movie’s director is French. The Spanish-language movie was filmed in France. And Audiard? He doesn’t even speak Spanish.
The director also admitted to not doing much research before making the film. “I didn’t study [Mexico] much,” Audiard said during an interview that’s been circulating on X. “What I needed to know I already knew a little bit.”
There’s been much backlash to the film on social media, especially from Mexican viewers who say the portrayal of their country is inaccurate and damaging, particularly when it comes to the portrayal of drug cartels. Viewers also lamented the fact that none of the cast members were Mexican, reigniting a familiar argument about casting actors in roles that don’t match their nationality.
CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT
“This is a message to the Academy: Mexico hates Emilia Pérez. It is a racist, Eurocentric mockery. Nearly 500,000 are dead, and France decides to make a musical with no Mexicans in the crew or cast,” one popular X post says.
Another user on X agreed, writing, “Emilia Pérez is a case study in how to combine every cliché, ignorance, and lack of respect toward one of the most serious humanitarian crises of our time. Poorly acted, with a weak script, and a disastrously executed musical.”
“It just doesn’t make sense. A French guy making a movie without really knowing what happens in Mexico, simply unbelievable. Bad acting, dialogues, story doesn’t make sense and so on. Please, for your own good, don’t watch it,” one reviewer wrote.
Another agreed, writing, “I am Mexican and I found it completely disrespectful. It looks like a bad comedy made to entertain and promote stereotypes raised from an ignorant perspective of the country they want to represent on screen.”
“Only Murders in the Building” actress Selena Gomez also caught heat for her Spanish speaking skills. “CODA” actor Eugenio Derbez spoke out publicly about her Spanish pronunciation during a podcast appearance in December, saying, “Selena is indefensible.”
Derbez added, “I was there [watching the movie] with people, and every time a scene came [with her in it], we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?’”
Gomez responded to the criticism via TikTok, saying, “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”
Derbez later apologized to Gomez, saying his “careless comments” went against “everything I stand for.”
“There’s no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart,” he said.
But plenty of other critics share his feelings.
Despite all the backlash, many critics who do not write for “queer media” and industry bigwigs loved “Emilia Pérez.” Kevin Maher from The Times said, “This mad musical is one of the year’s best films,” while Stephanie Zacharek from Time said it was “fierce and glorious, a radical act of the imagination with kindness in its heart.”
New York Times critic Manohla Dargis agreed, writing, “It’s Gascón’s performance that centers and grounds the story.”
“Titanic” director James Cameron also had rave reviews. “What I saw that blew me away was Emilia Pérez. I have seen it three times now,” Cameron said in December. “It’s just not like any other film that’s ever been made, you know? I mean, I think it’s bold, it’s daring, it’s a vision. It’s beautifully executed. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking.”
“Emilia Pérez” currently has a 76% critics rating and a 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is expected to take home some prizes at the British Academy Film Awards and later at the Oscars in March, despite the fact that audiences – even those who you’d think would be cheering for a trans-centric storyline – really, really don’t like it.
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